This invention relates to a fifth wheel hitch.
Fifth wheel hitches have for decades consisted of a slide plate, usually bifurcated, with kingpin engagement mechanism. This mechanism has taken a variety of forms, typically being a pair of pivotal jaws, or a sliding lock element, or a single jaw, to name the most common forms.
In efforts to keep the mechanism in a closed, kingpin-retaining condition, various devices have been utilized. These include a wedge against the single jaw type, a plunger between the pair of pivotal jaws, and a yoke straddling the pivotal jaws as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,640,549.
Although such hitches have been and are being successfully used, it is important to constantly seek fifth wheel hitch constructions with even superior safety and operating characteristics.